Don Talley dies at 66
Don Talley dies at 66
Don Talley, owner of Talley Farms and Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande, CA, died Dec. 2 at Stanford Medical Center from complications of a heart transplant that he had received Oct. 17. He was 66.
Mr. Talley was born April 4, 1940 in Santa Barbara, CA, to Oliver and Hazel Talley. In 1952 the family moved to Arroyo Grande where Oliver Talley had founded Talley Farms four years earlier. Mr. Talley attended school in Arroyo Grande and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management from the University of California-Berkeley in 1962. He married Rosemary Green in December 1962.
After a short stay in the Bay Area, the couple returned to Arroyo Grande where Mr. Talley became active in the management of Talley Farms, working closely with his father. The couple's children, Brian and Marianne, were born in 1966 and 1967, respectively.
Under Mr. Talley's leadership, Talley Farms was incorporated in 1969 and the company began buying farmland and shipping produce directly to customers around the country. Planting of vineyards began in 1982, and Talley Vineyards was founded in 1986.
Mr. Talley was very active in the local community and with key trade groups in the vegetable industry. He served on the Arroyo Grande Parks & Recreation Commission, city council and as mayor. He served on the board of directors of the Western Growers Association, as chairman of the board of Ag Box, a packaging supplier owned by a group of local vegetable growers, and was active on the board of directors of Farm Credit West, a leading agricultural lender. He was recognized as Farmer of the Year at the 2006 Santa Barbara County Fair and as Grower of the Year by the Western Growers Association in 2004.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; son, Brian; daughter-in-law, Johnine; granddaughters, Elizabeth and Olivia; sister-in-law, Karen Talley-Miller, and her husband, Bob Miller; nephew, Todd Talley, his wife, Jill and their daughters, Karena and Violet; and nephew Ryan Talley, his wife, Christina, and their children, Byron, Grant, Elliot, Catherine and Caroline. He was predeceased by his daughter, Marianne, in 1993.
A memorial service was held Dec. 9 at Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Marianne Talley Foundation, which funds scholarships for student athletes from Arroyo Grande High School, P.O. Box 360 Arroyo Grande, CA 93421; or the Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers, c/o the San Luis Obispo Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1580, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93406.
Mr. Talley was born April 4, 1940 in Santa Barbara, CA, to Oliver and Hazel Talley. In 1952 the family moved to Arroyo Grande where Oliver Talley had founded Talley Farms four years earlier. Mr. Talley attended school in Arroyo Grande and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management from the University of California-Berkeley in 1962. He married Rosemary Green in December 1962.
After a short stay in the Bay Area, the couple returned to Arroyo Grande where Mr. Talley became active in the management of Talley Farms, working closely with his father. The couple's children, Brian and Marianne, were born in 1966 and 1967, respectively.
Under Mr. Talley's leadership, Talley Farms was incorporated in 1969 and the company began buying farmland and shipping produce directly to customers around the country. Planting of vineyards began in 1982, and Talley Vineyards was founded in 1986.
Mr. Talley was very active in the local community and with key trade groups in the vegetable industry. He served on the Arroyo Grande Parks & Recreation Commission, city council and as mayor. He served on the board of directors of the Western Growers Association, as chairman of the board of Ag Box, a packaging supplier owned by a group of local vegetable growers, and was active on the board of directors of Farm Credit West, a leading agricultural lender. He was recognized as Farmer of the Year at the 2006 Santa Barbara County Fair and as Grower of the Year by the Western Growers Association in 2004.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; son, Brian; daughter-in-law, Johnine; granddaughters, Elizabeth and Olivia; sister-in-law, Karen Talley-Miller, and her husband, Bob Miller; nephew, Todd Talley, his wife, Jill and their daughters, Karena and Violet; and nephew Ryan Talley, his wife, Christina, and their children, Byron, Grant, Elliot, Catherine and Caroline. He was predeceased by his daughter, Marianne, in 1993.
A memorial service was held Dec. 9 at Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Marianne Talley Foundation, which funds scholarships for student athletes from Arroyo Grande High School, P.O. Box 360 Arroyo Grande, CA 93421; or the Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers, c/o the San Luis Obispo Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1580, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93406.
